Iraqi convicted people-smuggler lives in England, joint investigation finds

An Iraqi man convicted in France in 2016 for running one of Europe's largest people-smuggling networks has been living in England, according to a joint investigation by the Daily Mail and the BBC. Tevana Cemal, who was sentenced to five years in prison in France and charged each migrant £4,500 for Channel crossings, was expected to be deported after completing his sentence but instead entered the United Kingdom, the investigation found. Cemal is from Raniya in the Kurdistan Region and was known as "Pasha" in French camps, the report said. Investigators found he managed a truck carrying 80 migrants across the Dover Strait each month and hid migrants in onion- and cheese-laden lorries to evade carbon dioxide detection systems at ports. He is now said to be living in the village of Blaby in Leicestershire, where he works at a supermarket and has been recorded driving without a license. The British Home Office confirmed that all asylum applicants undergo mandatory security checks. No further details on Cemal's immigration status or any potential proceedings were immediately available.